The light's on, the teacher's busy!

Recently I was browsing Pinterest for some classroom ideas and I found this cool idea of using a push light to let students know visually when you are engaged in small groups and how they should not disturb you or your group. It also works when you're conferencing with individuals or administering assessments and need to left alone. Basically the idea is: when the light is on, the teacher is busy!

All you really need is a push light, which you can find at your local Dollar Store. I couldn't get to mine so I found identical lights on Amazon for $6 and they came in a pack of 3. You can find them here. You can use the light itself and stick it on a whiteboard where you write the little reminder to students about how the light works, but I didn't want to keep writing a reminder in my ugly handwriting (really, it's not nice) so I made a cute sign to go with it and I thought I'd share it. Here it is! Just print, laminate, stick the light in the middle, punch 2 holes and tie a string and hang it up around your small group area and viola! You have an easy-peasy way to manage those little munchkins who come up constantly during your small group instructional time.

Click the picture to download the freebie!

What are some ways you manage your small group time?